News

2004-01-02 15:56:04.0

Carrollton Man Shares $10,000 Prize With Friends

A Carrollton man and several of his friends had 10,000 reasons to celebrate New Year’s Eve after he scratched off a "Merry Money" Scratchers ticket and won $10,000. Randy Bultmann, 40, plans to share the prize with his friends by splitting it 11 ways.

Bultmann said he was at a New Year’s Eve party playing Bunko to help pass the time before midnight. He won the most Bunko games, so he was awarded a $5 "Merry Money" Scratchers ticket. The winning ticket was purchased at Break Time, 1000 W. College in Marshall.

"I don’t play Scratchers tickets that often, so I really didn’t know what I was supposed to be doing," Bultmann said. "A lot of people thought it was one of those fake lottery tickets at first, but the more I uncovered the more excited everyone got."

Krista Cowick, 31, a friend of Bultmann’s and his wife, Mary, said Bultmann’s hands began shaking before he had uncovered the entire prize amount.

"We just kept saying ‘keep scratching,’" Cowick said. "Everyone was screaming. It was a New Year’s none of us will ever forget."

Bultmann, who works at an architectural firm in Kansas City, said he plans to use his share for a future vacation. Cowick said she will use her share to pay off some bills.